Someone Has to Help
by fiery-hallows
Summary: Rumour had it that both Tadashi Hamada and Robert Callaghan died in the fire. However, both survived. Callaghan became a villain. Tadashi, however remained in hiding, unsure of where to go or what to do. Soon, a girl approaches him...thus marking the start of a friendship, and maybe something more. (prequel to Sacrifice for Love)
1. Prologue

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

_I turned around to hear the sound of the fire alarm sound from the San Fransokyo institute of Technology Convention building, where Hiro just finished his presentation of his newly invented microbots to help him gain entry to SFIT, otherwise known to him as "the nerd school". I ran towards the building, Hiro just by my heels._

_"Are you okay?" I asked a passing woman, as she collapsed temporarily in my arms._

_"Yeah, I'm okay," she said, "but Professor Callaghan is still in there!"_

_Callaghan? No way. I can't let my professor suffer! As the woman ran away, I ran in the opposite direction, towards the building._

_"TADASHI, NO!" Hiro grabbed my arm, a pleading look on his face that just read, _Please don't go.

_I looked at the building, where Callaghan was suffering, and then back at Hiro. "Callaghan's in there. Someone has to help."_

_With that, I ran into the building, unaware that my hat flew away from my head._

_I searched frantically for Callaghan, turning my head from side to side looking for him in the mess. But it wasn't long before the building exploded with a BOOOMMM!_

_I flew backwards, tucking my body in a ball as I crashed through a window and landed on a soft patch of grass. However, I was covered in very deep burns. My upper body looked like a dragon roasted me alive, but my legs were okay. _

_My eyes honed in on Hiro, who was carrying my hat and sobbing. "Tadashi!' he screamed. "TADASHI!"_

_I looked down at my body. I'm a mess! I can't just run back to Hiro and tell him I was okay when I obviouisly wasn't. I can't just do this. Hiro would think I'm a monster from the dead. No. I have to stay away._

_I turned my heel and ran away from there, to the one place I knew-the place close to where my parents died. I hid out in the alleyway there, and started to scream._

_"I failed," I cried. "I failed my brother...I failed my friends, my aunt, my only family..." I looked up to the skies. "Mom, dad, please don't be mad at me. I...I tried..."_

_Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I ignored the pain that flared from my face as the tears streamed past the burns that had been new and fresh from that exposure in the fire. I curled myself up in a ball and cried myself to sleep. "Hiro...I'm sorry.." I whispered, before fatigue overtook me and I fell asleep._


	2. Chapter 1--A Double Funeral

Pain. That was all I felt. My mind burned with images from the night before, and my eyes immediately flew open. I shivered. No. This has to be a dream. It was only a dream. When I wake up, I would be in the apartment looking by Hiro's bed, with Baymax's charging dock beside me. But no. This was no dream. This really happened. In just one night, I lost not just everyone, but everything, in my life.

My eyes darted around the area where I found myself in. I was lying in a dark alleyway where all around me I saw walls-brick walls. I found myself lying on a makeshift bed of milk crates, with only my cardigan to serve as a blanket. Slowly, gingerly, I uncurled myself from the fetal curl I curled myself in and set my feet on the ground. It hurt now to just move around, what with the burns I recently got all over my upper body. I also noticed the cuts I must have gotten from last night on my legs.

I shook my head. I really did look like a mess!

Suddenly, I felt a drop of water fall on my head. I looked up. The sky was dark and grey, full of rain clouds. Then a shower of the water droplets fell on my head, and I felt new and fresh pain spring from my burns and cuts as the water entered my body. _Dammit!_ I found an unused tarp near where I was, and slowly got off the pile of milk crates, grabbing the tarp, and making a tent out of it. Or what looked like a tent. I just grabbed some milk crates, stacked them up, and tied the strings on the ends of the tarp down in the open holes, and I crawled into it. At least it offered me some protection.

Looking out from the alley to the main streets, I saw most people pass by this area wearing...black. Lots of black. Huh. What happened? The masses of people walking looked like they came from SFIT. That's...strange.

I decided to get closer, but I knew I couldn't be seen. I decided to use some of the milk crates and create another wall facing the road before approaching the intersection connecting the road with the alley I was staying in.

"Double funeral, am I correct?" I heard a girl ask.

"Yes," said another person-someone older, I suppose. I couldn't tell who it was.

"This is pretty serious," the girl said. "Who exactly are we mourning for?"

"Tadashi Hamada and Robert Callaghan," the other person answered her. "They both died last night after the showcase at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology."

My eyes widened in shock. No. No. No no no no no. This can't be happening.

"I wish I got the chance to see them," the first girl said.

See them? See me, in this kind of burnt up and scorched mess? See Callaghan, who probably died without a single scratch or burn on his body? Oh why did my life had to mess itself up? Why did I do that? Why did I run into that fire knowing that it would cost me the rest of my life?! Oh wait, no. Scratch that. She probably meant before the fire happened. Before I got separated from Hiro and my present life forever.

I sadly walked back to the makeshift tent I made and started to think. I have a full summer ahead, but I had no idea what to do with it. My life is now completely done and over, completely ruined, because of that one stupid mistake.

My last words to Hiro rang in my head.

_"Someone has to help."_

Oh why did things have to be this complicated?!

Furious at myself, I curled myself into a ball again and laid on the floor, crying. Tadashi may not be dead, but his old self already had. Physically, he is alive. Mentally, he's gone.

I don't know if I'm ready for this. My life has been taken away from me. A possible future that laid ahead the moment I was done with Baymax is now...shattered. Was that the word? Yes, I think so. The future is now dead, taken from me. And here I am, hanging to the edge of the cliff of life by a thread, unsure of whether to get back up and move away, or drop entirely into the abyss of the unknown.

Hours passed before everyone started heading back from the double funeral, their heads completely bowed, their feet slowly dragging them across the road.

Sudden realization struck me. I must have made a big impact on everyone, without me even realizing it. I helped so many people in my time. Callaghan must have as well. To lose two people from SFIT is like cursing SFIT and scaring all future prospective students to even come to this school. I didn't mean to have my death scare everyone like that...instead of helping, I hurt so many people. I can't do this anymore. But I couldn't do anything about it.

Fatigue eventually took me to sleep, my eyes closing as I drifted off to sleep again, completely entrenched in the thoughts of death.

I wonder who would care if they still find me alive and mourning for myself.


	3. Chapter 2--The Girl

_Wake up, mourn over my own loss, cry over everything I lost, scavenge for food, find water, fuss over my wounds, pray for mercy from my own parents, fall asleep. Repeat._

This has actually been my routine for what felt like a week. Some people were kind enough to help, but who would even bother pitying for a grown man who looked like he had been beat up by his schoolmates or something? It looked a bit weird for someone old to look like he has been recently abused. At the end of every day I would be lucky if I got at least some bread and butter to eat. Water was scarce but I'm trying to live on it.

"Mom, dad, if you can, PLEASE send some help soon," I prayed one night, at the point where I felt like giving up the most. My body had been barely healed from the burns and scars that remained from the fire, and I found myself to get weaker and weaker by the minute. "I don't want to give up on myself. But I don't know what to do if I don't. Please, listen to my prayers. Please send me some help. I'm lost. I..." The tears finally streamed down and I lost it. "I...I'm scared."

Of course, so many people would chide me for that. Who would imagine that I, Tadashi Hamada, would be scared of indecision? But that was what I felt right then, right there. Would I move away from the abyss of unknown, or drop there and leave everyone a real body to mourn for?

I stretched myself on the milk crates again, with the cardigan serving me protection, and drifted off to sleep.

I did not expect my prayers to be answered the very next day.

The day started off in the same way. Wake up, cry over my own loss, scream for what I have done, and start scavenging for food in the alley. However, I didn't have the strength to move from my makeshift milk crate bed. I just laid there and groaned as the sunlight shone through the tarp that served my roof. Eventually, I shielded my eyes away. I've had it. I really did. I was so done with life. I don't even want to see the sun anymore, feel the new day settle in. Every day, the burning question just intensified. What should I do?

"Hello?"

Was I hallucinating, or did I just hear someone call out in the alley way? She probably heard me groaning. Hoping that this was the help I prayed for, I groaned again, opening my eyes.

Footsteps eventually approached my makeshift milk carton shelter, and then they stopped altogether as the person got closer.

"Hmm," she said. "Very interesting. I've seen this many times. I just didn't expect someone to be in there," she spoke to herself.

Suddenly, I tensed up. Did she mean this in a bad way? I hope not!

Slowly, she reached the front of the shelter, the side that I didn't block the milk crates, and saw me. I just curled up into a tighter ball, scared to see who she was.

"Hey," she spoke gently. "Hey, are you okay?"

She didn't sound like a threat, so I slowly shifted my body position and tried to sit up, but pain flared throughout my body and I let out a cry.

"Whoa," she said, running over to me and gently easing me up. "Easy. Easy there." Wow, I didn't know she had pretty strong arms.

My vision finally adjusted to the person who helped me. The girl looked to be about 18, with long black hair tied up in a high ponytail at the back of her head. She wore brown shades-probably transition lenses. I have never seen anyone wear those before, so that was new. She wore a pastel purple t-shirt, a pair of light blue denim shorts, black sandals with silver stars on the ankle, and a dark blue cardigan. She looked to be gentle and caring as Honey Lemon, but fierce and strong as Gogo at the same time.

"Are you okay?" she repeated her question.

I could only moan. Man. I sound so bad today. What am I doing, asking her for her help?

She quickly rummaged through her backpack-wait, she even bothered bringing a backpack around?-and took out a typical 2L water bottle you get at convenience stores. "Drink this."

I quickly took the bottle, opened it, and chugged it down. I didn't care how much of a mess I made. I just needed water so bad, I knew I couldn't survive another day without it. She just waited patiently while I drank it down.

When I was done, I looked at her. "Do you have...um..."

"Food?" She finished the question for me, and smiled at me gently. "I don't have much, but I hope it satisfies your needs." She reached into her backpack again and brought out a sack of chocolates and a bag of oranges. She also brought out a bag of baked goods and some bread.

I took the baked goods first. "Where did you get these?"

"My mom bought them from a wholesale store," she answered. "Why?"

"They...remind me of my aunt's cafe," I told her. I put the baked goods down and took out the bag of bread, taking a slice and digging into it. My stomach growled to mutiny, and she laughed lightly.

"I honestly don't know if I should be doing this though," she admitted, turning away for a bit. "This is the first time I ever approached a stranger...especially a homeless one. I know my parents would freak out if I said anything."

I stopped mid-chew. "If you don't feel comfortable, you can leave."

"No no no! It's fine! Really." She smiled warmly, and I felt a tingle of relief rush through me. I smiled back at her.

"It's just...something about you is different."

I just kept eating on the bread, unsure of what to say.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

The girl said nothing for a bit. "It looks like your wounds need tending. Do you have any cash on you by any chance? Stupid question to ask but it's worth it."

I fished for a 10 dollar bill in my pocket and handed it to her.

"Thanks!" She dashed off.

"Hey! Where are you going?" I called after her. Then I added softly, "you never answered my question."

A couple moments later, she returned with a box of burn cream, a bottle of disinfectant spray, a wad of gauze, and a box of rubber latex-free gloves.

"Rest assured, I have done some training in CPR and First Aid," she told me, putting on a pair of gloves and taking a seat by my legs. "Now hold still. This would sting a bit."

She took some burn cream and squeezed a small amount on the gauze, and gently dabbed the gauze on one of the burns.

"Ow! Ow ow ow!" I cried, wincing.

She chuckled. "Tell me if what I'm doing is right. I have never really done it on a person before, I really haven't."

"There's a first for everything," I said, trying to encourage her. "And don't worry, it feels so much better already."

She nodded and smiled at me before she returned to work. _Dang, her smile...wow...Whoa, snap out of it!_

The moment she was done dealing with all of my wounds, I tested out moving my arms and legs again. I felt so much better, and definitely felt some strength return to me. I swung my legs over the edge of my crate bed and she moved over, sitting right next to me.

"So..." I turned to her. "I hate to offend you but...I have never seen you before."

She shrugged. "I actually expected that. I'm new here. Just visiting from Canada."

I nodded. "I see. How did you get here?"

"I can travel by portal." She pulled out a normal remote control from her backpack. "There's a friend of mine who's planning on becoming a scientist. He built me this portal so that I could travel to and from San Fransokyo at will. I guess he chose here because he's excited to see what it would be like to travel by portal somewhere else. But anyway, this portal can let me go here any time I want. I just have to be careful." She then put the remote control back.

"So where are you from?"

"Canada."

My eyebrows raised. "I have never heard of Canada before."

"It's somewhere up north, I guess," she said. "It's a pretty good country. Lots of nature, lots of harsh winters and snow and beavers and people saying 'eh' and hockey and maple trees and amazing things. And maple syrup, if that helps."

"Maple syrup?"

"I'll tell you when you get better."

I smiled.

"Anyway, I've only been around for a week. The first day I was here, it was raining. A lot of people wore black. Just heard about a double funeral for two people who died in a fire at SFIT...that's a school, right?"

I nodded, feeling the pain rush back to me. It must have shown on my face, because then she turned to me, her sensors on full alert.

"Do you have any connection to the dead? I mean, the people who died in the fire?" she asked me gently. "You don't have to tell me if it hurts to. I'm not going to laugh. I just saw it in your eyes."

I took a shaky breath. "I...I'm actually one of the people who should have died."

She gasped, but didn't move away. "Who are you, then?"

"I'm Tadashi," I introduced myself in a whisper. "Tadashi Hamada."


End file.
